Return of the Captain
by Trufreak89
Summary: The Doctor promises to return Jack to the day he left Cardiff, but he’s not renowned for his time management and Jack and Torchwood 3 suffer as a consequence.


**Title: **Return of the Captain

**Summary: **The Doctor promises to return Jack to the day he left Cardiff, but he's not renowned for his time management and Jack and Torchwood 3 suffer as a consequence.

**Rating: **M – (For coarse language)

**A/N: **Short one shot.

"And you're sure it's only been six hours?" Jack quizzed for the second time, irritating the already frustrated Doctor.

"Yes, yes. Six hours top, scouts honour." He attempted to make the hand signal of the scouts but ended up making one similar to the signal from Star Trek. He shrugged it off as Jack shook his head.

"I guess this is goodbye then Doctor." He held out his hand, which the Doctor shook happily.

"Take care of yourself Jack. Stay out of mischief."

"Kids! I'm home." He laughed as he entered the Hub. Even for a building inhabited by only four people it was unusually quiet. Putting his things down he searched through the mass of tunnels and tucked away rooms that were the Torchwood institute. There was no one in the boardroom, the hospital wing, his office, the archives or the vault. Shrugging off the sense of foreboding he held he waited in his office for the others to return.

When the team finally returned it was after dark. They entered the Hub in a slow and sombre fashion, each remaining quiet as they made their way to the social area intending to collapse on the sofa tucked away up there. Owen was the first to notice Jack's office door, untouched for so long, wide open and music coming from the small room. Pulling out his gun he signalled for the others to do the same and headed in to the office.

As Jack looked up from a book he'd left lying around on his desk he found his team aiming their guns at him, looks of shock and disbelief on their faces. "Is that anyway to welcome your boss back?" He teased, his trademark grin plastered on to his face. "Honestly I go out for a few hours and you're staging a mutiny."

"A few hours?" Owen's voice was hoarse and cracked. Jack finally noticed that his eyes were red and puffy like he'd been crying. They all looked the same. All except…

"Where is she?" Jack demanded, the feeling of foreboding rearing its head again and causing his stomach to churn. "How long was I gone?"

"Six years." Ianto didn't look up as he answered, he couldn't face the man who had abandoned them all without so much as a goodbye.

"Six years!" He spat, internally cursing the Doctor with every cuss word he knew. "That's not possible! I was only supposed to be gone for six hours."

"Yeah well you need a new watch mate." Owen growled, his fists balled and his brow furrowed. "You take off for six years and then stroll back in here like everything's fine! Well it's not. You're not the boss anymore Jack. I am." The other two stood defiantly behind the angry Doctor, choosing his side over Jack's; but the other torchwood member was still missing.

"Where's Gwen?" His voice was raised with anger and fear.

"She's dead." Toshiko finally spoke up; her eyes glistened with a fresh wave of tears that threatened to spill over. "We've just buried her."

Jack's eyes widened, a lump formed in the back of his throat and nothing he could think of to say seemed adequate for the situation. In the end all he could manage was a mumbled 'sorry'.

He grunted as Toshiko slapped him, her hand connecting with his face with as much strength as she could muster. "You're a selfish bastard Jack." She stormed off leaving the three men alone. Ianto looked at her longingly.

"Ianto-"  
"Don't Jack." He scowled, his usually placid demeanour gone, replaced by a venomous hate that Jack wasn't aware the younger man could muster. "Just don't." Turning his back he followed Toshiko out, catching up to her to offer some comfort to the grieving woman.

"Where ever you've been for the last six years." Owen spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice calm but his tone deadly. "Go back there, nobody wants you here. The last person who actually still had faith in you died yesterday and I had to fucking bury her today!" His coolness was quickly running out and he retreated like the others out of fear of what he would do to the American were he to stay.

Gwen had kept her faith in him. Had always expected him to return. He smiled sadly; she was such an optimist, always looking for the best in people. He'd wager that if she'd still been alive when he returned she'd have simply walked in to his office, slapped him and then filled him in on what had happened while he was away. Sighing he gathered a few things and collected his bags on the way out of the hub.

It was four years later that the Doctor finally returned to Cardiff to fuel the Tardis. He found Jack sitting outside the door, his face still unmarred by time, but ravished by guilt. Opening the door he let the disgruntled Captain inside and waited for him to explain what was going on and why he looked so glum.

"You screwed up." His voice was barely above a whisper as though he'd barely used it in the past four years. "It was six years, not six months."

"Ah." Was all the Doctor could manage. "Well I learn how to do this!" He beamed proudly as he showed Jack the scouts hand signal.

The other man's expression darkened as he got to his feet and pinned the Doctor to the console. The Tardis began beeping and whirring, displaying her unhappiness at Jack's treatment of the Doctor.

"You son of a bitch!" He growled, his eyes wide and feral. "One of my team died because I wasn't there! The rest of my team kicked me out! I've spent the last four years waiting for you." The Doctor remained perfectly still and calm, keeping his usual laid back demeanour.

"Why do they always forget?" The Doctor mumbled, more to himself than Jack. "Time machine!" He shouted rather loudly. "I'll drop you off and make sure it's only six or so hours this time and then when you turn up in six years you can tell me to take you back properly, and this whole mess can be avoided without the universe blowing up." Jack released the other man.

"That's what I was counting on. It doesn't make up for the last four years though." The Doctor lost his cheerful smile and nodded.

"No it doesn't does it? I'm sorry Jack. I truly am." As quickly as his mood changed it changed again, back to his usual jovial self. "We'll have you back in a jiffy."

After checking the date on several newspapers Jack finally let the Doctor go and leave him behind. He'd been returned to morning after he left. When he set his things down in his office he smiled at what he found. Gwen and Ianto sat in the small room sound asleep, while Owen and Toshiko lay upstairs in the boardroom.

Quietly he shook Gwen's shoulder to stir her from her peaceful slumber. "Hey." His grin returned and his four years of hell no longer mattered as her eyes fluttered open and he was met with her smile.

"Hey yourself." She stretched, her muscles cramped from sleeping in the chair all night. "Where did you go? We've been looking for you all night!" He shrugged.

"Just had to get some air and be on my own for a bit."

She shook her head but pulled him in for a tight hug. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're back." She got to her feet and pulled on her jacket. "Now I've got to go explain to Rhys why I didn't come home last night." She rolled her eyes at the prospect of the daunting task but stopped as Jack softly laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He beamed, taking his place in his chair. "Everything's fine. You get on home. I'll wake the troops later and treat you all to breakfast."

"It's a start." Gwen teased. "But you'll have to do a lot more than that Mr. Dirty-stop-out.

He shook his head as she left. His adventures with the Doctor, Gwen's untimely death and the four years of hell he'd spent waiting for the Doctor's return were little more than memories. Everything was normal again; or at least as normal as it got with Torchwood.


End file.
